Over the years Pioneer have built a reputation as one of the finest producers of Plasma TVs in the world. With their 8th generation series they are set to maintain, and quite possibly build upon that reputation.

According to Pioneer, their new flat panel screens will offer a viewing experience that offers "seeing and hearing like never before; with the deepest levels of black and high-grade audio"

Pioneer claim the 60-inch PDP-LX608D, 50-inch PDP-5080HD, and 42-inch PDP-428XD with true contrast ratios of 20,000:1 will demonstrate blacks that are 80% blacker than previous models, along with richer colours and sharper detail.

No firm details on price as yet, but expect the new models to be more expense than equivalent from Panasonic. Pioneer have always indicated that they can't compete with the larger volumes produced by Panasonic on price, and aim for higher quality products with a price premium.

The new line up will be available in 42, 50 and 60in screen sizes, in both XGA (available from June) and Full HD (available from September).